Self-starting synchronous electric motor



R. M. ORZABAL SELF-STARTING SYNCHRONOUS ELECTRIC KOTOR Filed Feb. 12, 1947 2 Sheets-Sheet l aqZ/v I'NVENTORJ BY@ Y ATTO R N EY May 4, 1948. R. M. oRzABAL.

y SELF-STARTING SYNCHRONOUS ELECTRIC KOTOR med Feb. A12, 19.47 2 sums-sneer. 2

u iyENToR,

v Patented May 4, 1948 SELF- STARTING SYNCHRONOUS ELECTRIC MOTOR Raul Mariano Orxabal, Buenos Aires, Argentina Application February 12, 1947, Serial No. 728,006 In Argentina May 29, 1946 7 claims. 1

This invention relates to self-starting synchronous electric motors, and more particularly to a self-starting synchronous electric motor of fractional horsepower and low speed.

Fractional horsepower synchronous motors are usually employed for all applications where a driving means with a very constant speed of rotation is desired, such as, for example, in electric clocks or phonograph record players. In these applications, it is generally desirable that the motors vbe of the self-starting type. It has been found however, that with the present designs of fractional horsepower synchronous motors the self-starting characteristic can be obtained by increasing the rotationol speed. so that in app1i. catons which call for a low speed on the drive shaft, it is necessary to employ gears or other speed reducing devices, which obviously complicate the design and increase the cost of the devices incorporating synchronous motors.

The electric motor according to the present invention, however, has been designed to start instantaneously 'as soon as it is connected to the power source, and to run at such a low speed that it can be used to drive slow-movement devices, such as record players, directly and without the intermediary of speed-reducing accessories.

For this purpose, the self-starting synchronous motor according to the present invention includes, as principal elements, an electro-magnetically excited multipolarileld magnet and a multipolar armature polarized by a permanent magnet and having a number of poles equal to that of the field magnet, the poles of which are grouped insections of equal polar spacing with the poles arranged alternately in succession, the alternating magnetic exciting nelds of said polar sections having the same frequency but being electrically out of phase with respect to one another. Furthermore, the poles of two adjacent sections of one of the above-mentioned elements of the motor are mounted with a mechanical phase displacement equivalent to the electrical phase displacement between the magnetic ilelds of the field magnet.

The term polar section in the description and claims of this invention must be read to cover that part of the rotor or stator of the motor which includes a plurality of opposite poles disposed alternately and excited in phase by the same held. As stated above, in all the polar sections of the motor the poles are disposed with the same polar spacing and the mechanical phase displacement between two adjacent polar sections may also be stated as being equal to a frac- (Cl. 172-278l v'tion of the polar spacing. the numerator of said fraction being equal to one and the denominator susbtantially equal to the number-,of polar sections multiplied by two.

Thus, various objects and advantages are attained, notable among which is the possibility of obtaining a self-starting synchronous motor of slow rotational speed.

Another object of this invention is to provide a self-starting lsynchronous motor of simple and compact construction, and of small size.

A further object of this invention is to provide a self-starting synchronous motor, the rotor and stator of which may be manufactured in the form of sheet iron stampings, with the consequent reduction in cost of the motor.

Further objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent in the course of the following detailed description in connectionkwith the drawings, in which:

Figs. 1 and 2 are a plan view and longitudinal section respectively, of one of the preferred em* bodiments of the motor in accordance with the present invention. Fig. 2 showing an exploded view of the rotor, partly'in section;

Fig. 3 is a schematic diagram representing the layout of the poles of the rotor and stator of a 'motor of the type shown in the previous figures;

sov

Fig. 4 is a longitudinal cross-section of the multiple ileld magnet comprising two superposed polar sections of a motor according to another embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a lateral view of the multiple armature comprising two superposed polar sections and corresponding to the field magnet shown in Fig. 4:

Fig, 6 is a cross-section of the neld magnet of a synchronous motor according to a further preferred embodiment of the invention and l Fig. 7 is a plan view of the motor shown in Fig. 6.

Ink the figures, the same reference numbers or letters identify similar or corresponding parts.

vReferring to the drawings, it will be seen that the self-starting synchronous electric motor according to this invention comprises a held magnet a and an armature b which, in the embodiments shown in the drawings, constitute the stator and rotor respectively of the motor, it being evident that, if required, it is also possible to design eld magnet a as a rotor and armature b as a stator, without' deviating from the basic constructive characteristics of the motor according to this invention.

Rotor b comprises a shaft or axle I. on which an annular permanent magnet 2 is mounted concentrically, with its N and B poles in direct contact with corresponding discs 2 which, fixed perpendicularly to shaft I, are provided with toothed peripheral rims I located In an annular plane substantially concentric with shaft I of the rotor. teeth l of said rims being uniformly distributed along the whole circumference of rim l, as shown in Fig. 2. Discs 3 of the rotor thus constitute the pole pieces of permanent magnet 2, and as teeth l of one disc enter the gaps between teeth l of the other disc, rotor b of the synchronous motor shown in the embodiment of Figs. l and 2, eifects the form of a relatively thin discoid body the peripheral rim of which comprises a plurality of teeth which constitute opposite magnetic poles in an alternate arrangement.

Field magnet a of vthe motor illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2 comprises two polar sections I and `l each one formed by a core of magnetizable material I, on which is disposed an exciter coil l, and the ends of which carry corresponding pole pieces Il between which is mounted the armature or rotor b of the motor. As can be seen in Figa 1 and 2, these ends of the pole pieces between which is located rotor b, are cut along the periphery of a virtual circle having a radius slightly larger than that of rotor b, and are provided with perpendicular toothed ilanges II, teeth I2 of which are spaced with a polar spacing equal to that of rotor b, and which, once polar pieces I are i'ixed to their respective cores 8, are alternately disposed with the teeth I2 of the upper polar piece located between the teeth I2 of the lower polar piece. In this manner field magnet or stator a of the self-starting synchronous motor according to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. l and 2 has two polar sections 6 and 1, each of which comprises a plurality of successive opposite magnetic poles formed by teeth I2 in an alternate arrangement, the polar spacing between these teeth being equal to that of rotor b.

As may be seen in Fig. l, exciter coil l of polar section l is connected directly to terminals Il and Il oi' an alternating current supply source, while the exciter coil of polar section 6 is connected to the same source in series with a reactance I constituted in the present instance by a capacitor, so that the alternating magnetic exciter Ilelds generated by the poles corresponding to the directly-connected coil of polar section 'I have their phase diilering by substantially ninety electrical degrees with respect to the alternating magnetic exciter ilelds generated by the poles excited by the exciter coil of polar section 8 connected in series with capacitor I5.

But, in addition to the fact that the corresponding alternating exciter magnetic fields of the polar sections of the field magnet or stator a of the motor are of the same frequency and are electrically out of phase one with respect to another. the poles of one of the sections of stator a are mounted with a mechanical phase diierence, equivalent to the electrical phase displacement, with respect to the poles of the other section of the stator, said mechanical phase difference being f equal to a fraction of the polar spacing, the numerator of this fraction being one and the denominator being substantially equal to the number of polar sections multiplied by two.

'I'he relative position of the poles of the polar sections of tleld magnet a of the motor described in this invention and illustrated in Figs. l and'2 may be more clearly seen in Fig. 3 which, in sche matic form, illustrates a motor of the type lQWl 4 in Pigs. 1 and-2, but in which, for purposes of simplification. stator a' is shown with two polar sections Il and I! each comprising four poles 20. 2I, 22, 22, and 2l', 2|', 22' and 2l', respectively. As may be seen in this ligure. the poles of polar section Il. which together with the poles of polar section Il of stator a'. are distributed along the periphery of a virtual circle Il centered on shaft,

I' of rotor b' of the motor. are moimted with s mechanical phase shift I'I with respect to the poles of polar section Il. Distance I'I is equal to one quarter ot the polar spacing ot the stator; for, in the embodiment of the motor illustrated in Figs. 1 and 2, and also in the motor shown schematically in Fig. 3, the stator of the motor is formed of two polar sections.

Taking the distance between the poles of the same polarity o! the stator as being equivalent to three hundred sixty electrical degrees, and taking into account that the electrical phase displacement between the alternate exciting nelds of the two polar sections of the stator is equal to electrical degrees, it will be seen that the mechanical phase displacement between the two polar sections of the stator is the equivalent of the electrical phase displacement between the magnetic exciting elds.

Those skilled in the art will understand that a mechanical phase displacement equal to V4 of the polar spacing of the stator is, in the case of a motor including a stator of two polar sections, the minimum phase displacement which must exist between the two polar sections, as in fact this mechanical phase displacement may be equal to any multiple of the polar spacing `plus the fraction of the polar spacing equivalent to the electrical phase displacement.

In the motor shown schematically in Fig. 3. rotor b' contains eight N and S poles disposed alternately and distributed with a polar spacing equal to that of stator a', as described hereinabove ln connection with Figs. 1 and 2. The poles of stator a' and rotor b' have been represented by simple lines which carry the corresponding reierence number given hereinbefore and which correspond to teeth I2 and l 0f stator a and rotor b of the motor shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

The synchronous rotation of th'e motor according to the invention combined with selfstarting characteristic has been obtained due to the fact that the poles of the stator are grouped in polar sections of successive opposite poles whose respective magnetic exciter elds are of the same frequency, but have their phases .shifted one with respect to another, and that the poles of two adjacent polar sections are mounted with a mechanical phase shift one with respect to another, said mechanical phase shift being equivalent to theelectrical phase displacement of the magnetic exciter fields. As a consequence, whatever the relative position of the poles of the rotor with respect to the poles of the polar section of the stator at the moment of connecting the exciter coils of the fleld magnet to the alternating current power source, one group of the poles of the rotor is closer to the poles of one of the polar sections of the stator than to the poles of the other polar section, as may be seen clearly in the schematic diagram of Fig. 3.

In eiIect. assuming that at the moment of connection of the exciting current to the coils of stator a', rotor b is in the position shown in Fig. 3, it will be seen that four of the poles of the rotor are directly opposite poles 20, 2|, 22 and 2l 9i P0151' Section Il of the stator, but that the xeass-1,079 v maining four poles of the rotor are equidistant with respect to poles 2i', 22' and 28' o! polar section I8 oi stator a'. Now, in view o! the alternating excitation of the stator, andtaking for instance, only one pair of adjacent poles of the stator, it will be seen that at a given moment pole 20' will be N, and pole 2|' will beSduring one half of the cycle of the alternating exciting current applied to polar section Il of the stator. Therefore, the N pole of the rotor located between poles 20' and 2| of the stator will be repelled by pole 20' and attracted by pole 2|'.

In view oi. the fact that the i'orces oi repulsion and attraction act in the same direction, and as these forces are applied to all the poles of the rotor which are located opposite the corresponding polar section of stator a', rotor b' of the motor according to this invention will start rotating in a clockwise direction.

Now, as the excitation of poles 2l, 2|, 22 and 2i of polar section I8 of th'e stator is .displaced in phase 90 electrical degrees with respect t0 polar section I9 of the stator, the electromagnetic fields of attraction and repulsion generated by the poles will act upon the N and S poles of the rotorto coopciiateinitserotation'instheV established direction, in such a way that after` a short interval rotor b' of the motor according to the present invention will rotate as the rotor of a synchronous motor due to the .alternate attractions exercised by the poles` of the stator on the poles o! the rotor. It is evident that once synchronous speed is reached, the speed of rotation of the motor in the motor Iaccording to this invention will 'depend upon the number oi' poles and the frequency of the exciting current, as in any other synchronous motor, that is, that the rotor will rotate at a2-(m) =revo1utons per minute where f is the frequency of the alternating exciting current, and m is the number of poles in the stator.

In the embodiment o! the self-starting synchronous motor illustrated in Figs. l and v2, the polar sections of ileld magnet or stator a .are located in the same plane and act upon the same rotor or amature b of a single polar section. In

another preferred embodiment of the motor according to the present invention, shown in Figs. 4 and 5, both, the stator and the rotor of the motor, are of multiple construction, in which each polar section of the one of the elements cooperates with a polar section of the other element of the motor.

As may be seen in Fig. 5, the multiple armature or rotor b1 of the motor according to this embodiment of the invention comprises a shaft 24,- on which two rotors are mounted concentrlcally and in superposed relationship, these rotors being equal to rotor b shown in Figs. l and 2. Rotors 25 are ilxed to shaft 24 with' their poles or teeth 26 in mechanical alignment, and the lower end of shaft 2| is rotatably mounted on a plate 21 which is bolted to multiple field i magnet or stator a: of the motor shown in Fig.

4. As may be seen in this ligure, stator ai also comprises two polar sections 2l, each formed by two halves constituted by annular bodies 2t of U section joined together to form an annular enclosure which encloses an exciting coil I0. The inner wall of each annular body 20 is provided with teeth 3| spaced at a distance equal to the polar spacing oi' the motor and the two halves o! each polar section 2l are joined together in such a way that teeth 3i oi' one of the halves are located between teeth 3i or the other half. so that in each polar section, the poles formed by the abovementioned teeth Ii, are-disposed alternately. v

The two polar sections 2l are Joined together by means of bolts I! or other suitable means o! attachment, to form stator a1 which carries in addition another bearing plate Il provided with a bush or bearing Il for shaft 24 of multiple rotor b1.

As has been shown schematically in Fig, 4, exciting coil Il of the upper polar section 2l oi' the stator is connected directly to terminals Il and It. of an alternating current source, while exciting coil Il o! lower pola-r section 2l is connected to the same terminals in series with a capacitor I1, so that the exciting magnetic fields o1' both polar sections of the motor according to the embodiment illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 have their phases shifted by substantially ninety degrees one with respect to another.

The mechanical phase diil'erence between the poles-"of-fthe'tilvol polar sections 2l o! the motor shown in Figs. 4 and 5 has been obtained by onsetting one section `with respect to the other, so that this mechanical phase difference between the poles of the two sections, designated in Fig. 4 with reference number It, is equal to one quarter of the polar spacing. The separation between the two rotors 2 5 of rotor b1 is such that, once the rotor is mounted in stator ai. each rotor 2l rotates with its poles in a plane corresponding to the' poles or teeth Il of the corresponding polar section 2i or stator ar, synchronous rotation with the self-starting feature of the motor being obtained due to the electrical and mechanical phase displacement between the polar sections oi' the stator.

In the synchronous motor according to Figs. 4 and 5, the two polar sections oi. the stator are mechanically displaced in phase, apart from the electrical phase displacement of their exciting coils, to obtain the self-starting characteristic of the motor, but it is evidentthat in synchronous motors. comprising multiple elements according to this invention, the mechanical phase displacement may also be introduced between the polar sections oi' the rotor, this disposition also ensuring self-starting and synchronous rotation,

Those skilled in the art will understand also that. in place of employing a motor with double rotor or stator, said elements can be also used in triple, or, more generally, in multiple form, provided always that the electrical phase displacement between the excitlngmagnetic nelds of the stator be equivalent to the mechanical phase displacement between the polar sections. yeither oi' the rotor or the stator.

In the embodiments o! the synchronous motor shown in Figs. 1 to .4. the polar sections of the stator are formed oi separate mechanical units, each one provided with an exciting coil. oiers no dimculty in practice, but itis sometimes desirable to have a motor of the characteristics described, but of much smaller size, for, while the motor illustrated in Figs. 4 and 5 is quite suitable for phonographs. its use in electric clocks would be difllcult as a result of its large size consequent on the use oi' multiple stator and rotors.

Figs. 6 and 7 illustrate' a synchronous self-startshow only the stator a: of the motor. the rotor employed being exactly similar to that illustrated inFig.2. Asmaybeseeninl'iguresand'l. stator a: is similar to the polar sections of the multiple stator of the motor shown in Fig. 4. and is formed oi an annular body which comprises two substantially equal halves Il, oi U-shaped cross-section joined together to enclose an exciting coil Il, terminals 4| and 42 oi which are connected to a source of alternating current.

As has already been described in relation to the stator of Fig. 4, each annular half n oi' the stator comprises. on its inner lateral wall, a plurality of teeth I3 grouped, in this example, into two polar sections M and 4I. each or which includes substantially one half o! the periphery of this lateral wall, but which, i! required, may include a greater or lesser portion of said periphery. The teeth or poles o! one of the polar sections are disposed with a mechanical phase displacement equal to K of the polar spacing with respect to the poles of the'other polar section, as may be observed in Fig. 6, where distance 4l is equal to 1+5 of the polar spacing of the stator.

The two halves 8l are joined in such a way that the teeth or poles Il of one of the halves iit into the gaps between the teeth 4I of the other half. the stator az thus being provided with a plurality of opposite and alternately disposed poles.

To obtain the required electrical phase disf placement between the magnetic exciting ilelds of the two polar sections Il and Il of the stator, said stator includes a copper ring 41 which, passing through slots 4I in the external lateral walls oi' halves I9, extends along the poles of polar section M and is lodged in the interior of stator as, while its remaining part is located along the outer periphery of the stator corresponding to polar section 4l. Therefore. with respect to polar section u, copper ring Il acts as a short-circuited secondary winding, with the result that the magnetic exciting neld of poles 43 of this polar section 4I has its phase electrically displaced by substantially ninety electrical degrees with respect to the magnetic exciting field of polar section 4l.

In this manner it has been possible to combine within a motor of simple and economical construction the basic structural characteristics which, according to thisy invention, make it possible to obtain the desired synchronous rotation and self-starting features. The motors according to the embodiment shown in Figs. 6 and 7 are particularly suitable for electric clocks, as their parts can be easily manufactured to very small dimensions, and at the same time they can be designed to provide a relatively slow speedoi' rotation.

It will be appreclated that modifications of the disclosed embodiments of my invention are possible without departing from the spirit of my invention or the scope of the appended claims.

What I claim is:

1. A self-starting synchronous electric motor which comprises, as the main constitutive elements, a multipolar field magnet with electromagnetic excitation and a multipolar armature polarized by a permanent magnet, the adjacent polar teeth of opposite polarity of said armature having the same angular spacing as the adjacent polar teeth of opposite polarity of `said field magnet, the polar teeth of said eld magnet being arranged in sections of equal polar spacing with opposite poles arranged in alternate succession, means to shift the phase of the magnetic exciting ileld of one polar section of said iield magnet with respect to the magnetic exciting iield of jacent polar section, the polea of adjacent polar sectionsoioneoi'saidelementsolthe being mounted with a mechanical phase ence substantially equal to said electrical difference between the magnetie exciting 2. A self-starting synchronous electric which comprises, as the main constitutive elements, a field-magnet including a plurality electromagnetically excited polar teeth and polar teeth of opposite polarity of said iield magnet. the polar teeth of said field 'magnet being arranged in at least two polar sections of equal polar spacing with opposite polea in alternate succession, means to shift the phase of the magnetic.y exciting field of one polar section of said neld magnet with respect to the magnetic exciting field of the adjacent polar section, the poles of adjacent polar sections of one oi said elements oi the motor being mounted with a mechanical phase diiierence substantially equal to a fraction of the polar spacing. the numerator of said fraction being equal to unity and the denominator being equal to the number of polar sections multiplied by two. f

3. A self-starting synchronous electric motor. comprising a stator provided with a plurality of polar teeth arranged in two polar sections of equal polar spacing with opposite poles in alternate succession, two exciter coils each cooperating with one o! said polar sections, means to connect said exciter coils to an alternating current supply source, means to shift the phase oi the magnetic field generated by one of said exciter coils with respect to the magnetic neld generated by the other exciter coil, the poles of one of said polar sections being mounted with a mechanical phase difference substantially equal to the electrical phase difference between the magnetic exciter ilelds, a rotor mounted within said stator and including a plurality oi' teeth constituting opposite poles in alternate succession with a polar spacing equal to that of said stator, and a permanent magnet mounted to excite the polar teeth of said rotor.

4. A selfstarting synchronous electric motor comprising a stator including two polar sections each constituted by a core of magnetizable material, an exciting coil mounted on said core, polar pieces mounted on the ends of said core and having curved toothed ilanges with the teeth of one i'iange located in the spacings between the teeth of the other ilange to constitute opposite poles in alternatesuccession, means to connect said exciter coils to an alternating current supply source, a reactor connected in series with one of said coils to shift the phase of the magnetic field of said coil substantially ninety degrees with respect to the magnetic field of the other coil, the poles of said polar sections being mounted with a mechanical phase diiference substantially equal to the electrical phase diiIerence between said magnetic fields, a rotor mounted between said toothed flanges and including a plurality oi' teeth constituting opposite poles in alternate succession with a. polar spacing equal to that oi said stator, and s. permanent magnet mounted to polarize the polar teeth .of said rotor.

5. A self starting synchronous electric motor comprising a stator including a plurality of superposed polar sections each constituted oi an 9 annular hollow body of magnetizable materi formed o! two halves of U-shaped cross-section,`

an exciting coil located within said'annular hollow body, the inner lateral wallof said halves being provided with a plurality of teeth arranged equidlstantly along the internal periphery of said wall, said halves being joined with the teeth oi one hal-i located in the sp'acingsl between the stator, and a permanent magnet mounted onl said rotor to polarize said polar teeth ofthe rotor, the polar sections of said stator being mounted with their poles in mechanical alignment while the polar teeth oi one polar section of said rotor are mounted with a mechanical phase diiierence with respect to the teeth oi the adjacent section. said mechanical phase difference being substantially equal to the electrical .phase diiierence between the phases of said Aniultiphase alternating current supply source.

6. A self-starting synchronous electric motor comprising a, stator including two superposed polar sections each constituted of an annular hollow body of magnetizable material formed o! two halves of U-shaped cross-section, an exciting coil located within said annular hollow body, the inner lateral wall o! said halves being provided with a plurality o! teeth arranged equi- Y distantly along said internal wall, said halves being joined with the teeth of one half located in the spacings between the teeth of the other half to constitute a plurality of opposite polar teeth in alternate succession. means to connect said exciting coils to an alternating current supply source, a reactor connected in series with pieces each cooperating with a pole of said magnet and provided with toothed perpendicular rims, the teeth of one of said disc-shaped polar pieces penetrating into the spacings between the teeth of the other disc-shaped polar piece to constitute a plurality of opposite polar teeth in alternate succession' with a polar spacing equal to that of said stator, the polar teeth of said superposed polar sections of the rotor being mounted in mechanical alignment.

'1. A self-starting synchronous electric motor comprising a stator constituted of an annular hollow body of magnetizable material formed of two halves of U-shaped cross-section, the inner lateral wall of said halves being provided with a plurality of equidistantly spaced teeth arranged in two sections with the teeth of one section being arranged with a mechanical phase diierence with respect to the teeth of the other section, said mechanical phase difference being equal to one quarter of the polar spacing of said teeth, said halves being Joined with the teeth of one half penetrating into the spacing between the teeth of the other half to constitute a plurality of opposite polar teeth in alternate succession arranged in two polar sections. an exciting coil located within said annular hollow body, means to connect said coil to an alternating current supply source, a copper ring extend'- ing with one' part thereof along the polar teeth of one of said polar sections within said annular hollow body, while the remaining part of said ring extends along the external periphery oi said body corresponding to said other polar section of the stator to shift the phase of the magnetic nelds ol' said ycoils by substantially ninety electrical degrees, and a rotor mounted within said stator' and including a permanent magnet, two disc-shaped polar pieces each cooperating with a pole of said magnet and provided with toothed perpendicular rims, the teeth of one of said discshaped polar pieces penetrating into the spac- .ings betweenthe teeth of the other disc-shaped polar piece to constitute a plurality of opposite one of said coils to shift the phase o! the magnetic neld of said coils by substantially ninety degrees with respect to the magnetic ileld of the other coil, the poles of said polar sections of the ystator being mounted with a mechanical phase dinerence between said magnetic elds. a rotor mounted within said stator and including two super-posed polar sections each constituted o! a permanent magnet, two disc-shaped polar 2,081,993

polar teeth in alternate succession with a polar spacing equal tov that of said stator.

RAUL MARIANO ORZABAL.

REFERENCES CITED The renewing references are of record m the tile of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Name Date Gebhardt et al. June i, 1937 Number 

